Pubdate: Thu, 29 May 2008 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: 2008 The Vancouver Sun Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477 Authors: Meagan Fitzpatrick, and Frances Bula, Canwest News Service; Vancouver Sun Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/insite (Insite) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?142 (Supervised Injection Sites) INJECTION SITE RULING MAKES OTTAWA UNHAPPY Insite Can Remain Open Indefinitely After Court Rules That Law Violates Charter Federal Health Minister Tony Clement made it clear Wednesday he is unhappy with the decision by a B.C. Supreme Court judge on Vancouver's supervised drug injection site. Clement said his government disagrees with the ruling by Justice Ian Pitfield that Canada's trafficking and possession laws violate the Charter rights of drug addicts to get help at Insite for what is a medical condition. Pitfield declared that Insite can remain open indefinitely and that current drug laws are unconstitutional with respect to Insite. He gave the federal government a year to rewrite its narcotics laws to allow for the kind of drug use and handling that takes place there. During question period, Clement was asked by Vancouver New Democratic Party MP Libby Davies whether the government would abide by the court decision, released Tuesday, or appeal it. "I'm not in charge of appeals, that's the minister of justice. But I can say that on this side of the House at least, we are disappointed with the judgment. "We disagree with the judgment," said Clement. The government is "examining our options," he added. The non-profit group that runs Insite, along with two drug users, had gone to court to ask that Insite be allowed to operate even without the exemption it now has from federal drug laws. That exemption is set to expire on June 30 and Clement has not yet indicated whether it will be extended. His comments Wednesday were clear, however, on the approach the Conservative government prefers to take to help addicts and tackle illegal drug use. "We on this side of the House care about treating drug addicts who need our help. We care about preventing people, especially our young people, from becoming drug addicts in the first place. That is our way to reduce harm in our society and we are proud of taking that message to the people of Canada," he said. Clement will likely be repeating this message today. He is one of several people called to speak to the standing committee on health in Ottawa, where a Liberal MP asked for a session on harm reduction and the supervised-injection site. Opposition parties have been using Ottawa's standing committees as a way to push their agenda, since Conservative MPs are in the minority on them. Many of the country's most prominent advocates for the supervised-injection site will be appearing, including former Vancouver mayor Philip Owen, nurse Liz Evans from the non-profit group that runs Insite, and Vancouver drug policy coordinator Donald MacPherson. So far, no other cities have indicated they are willing to start an injection site as a result of the ruling. Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe said he would be willing to "push it right now" if he had the support of the Vancouver Island Health Authority. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom